A Fluffy Little Bunny By Any Other Name
by Omnicat
Summary: Tonks succeeded in brewing the Wolfsbane Potion and now has every intention of getting to inspect the results of her handiwork. RLxNT


**Title:** A Fluffy Little Bunny By Any Other Name

**Author:** Omnicat v''v

**Rating:** K / G

**Genre:** FLUFF with basic Humoristic and Romantic overtones. C:

**Spoilers & Desirable Foreknowledge:** Try all seven _Harry Potter_ books.

**Warnings:** None.

**Pairings:** Nymphadora Tonks x Remus Lupin

**Disclaimer:** Anything you recognize as J.K. Rowling's is hers.

**Summary:** Tonks succeeded in brewing the Wolfsbane Potion and now has every intention of getting to inspect the results of her handiwork. RLxNT

**Author's Note:** This fic was partially inspired by Jess Pallas's 'Without Words'. Go read that, it's wonderfully sweet. Wow, hey, where are you going?! Don't go before you've read _this!_ ;P

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**A Fluffy Little Bunny By Any Other Name**

The cellar was quiet.

That was a good thing, right? Just a moment before, the thick wooden door, reinforced with both magic and steel, had shook with the agonized screams and howls of the person trapped behind it. Those had stopped now, and Tonks _assumed_ that was a good sign.

She _hoped_ it was.

After all, instead of the exhausted, need-to-catch-my-breath-for-a-moment-but-will-be-back-as-soon-as-I-have silence Tonks wanted it to be, it could be the silence of a werewolf who had knocked into something while in the throes of his transformation and was, subsequently, out cold.

"Remus?" Tonks called out. "Remus, can you hear me?"

She waited. There was no response.

"Remus!" she yelled, more loudly this time.

Again, no response.

"Remus, bark once if you can hear me and understand what I'm saying."

A pause, and then: "Do werewolves bark?"

Tonks scratched her head.

Well, this wasn't working. _Looks like I'll just have to go in and see for myself,_ she thought.

Nevertheless, she only hesitantly drew her wand. Which was silly, she reasoned. If he was unconscious, he was harmless. If he was still weak and wheezy from his transformation, he was harmless. If, for some reason, he merely _refused_ to answer, it meant that he was moping, and seeing as he was _capable_ of moping, that would mean he had kept his human mind, which in turn meant he was harmless.

Tonks had not come unprepared, so the last and most horrible option could be ruled out with relative certainty: werewolves, especially caged ones, might be intelligent, but they simply lacked the _calm_ to lure their prey into a false sense of safety before striking.

In short, nothing a grown woman, qualified witch and fully-trained Auror couldn't handle.

Right?

Right!

...so why was she still not moving?

She opened her mouth to call Remus's name one last time, but changed her mind halfway through the required deep breath, and bit her lip. She wasn't afraid of what he could do to her, that much was certain. So why was she still feeling so apprehensive? Surely there was no chance of _her_ actually hurting _him_, not when he had this form...

...unless she would be so frightened by the sight of him that she flinched away, cried out or fled.

Tonks scowled at the door.

That sneaky git was infecting her with his self-loathing. Hmph. About time she gave him a taste of _her_ medicine.

Smirking, she said _"Alohomora."_ and nudged the door open with her foot. She descended the steps to the basement with her wand held out in front of her ("Constant Vigilance!") and looked around.

They had papered the walls and carpeted the floor of this previously dusty and creepy cellar trice over, to give the werewolf something to do while he was stuck here. An old, lumpy mattress and several chairs that were easily wrecked and easier still to repair were illuminated by an Unbreakable oil-lamp dangling from the ceiling.

Amused, Tonks cocked an eyebrow at the sight of the mattress. Used and abused though it may be, the lumps in it shouldn't be quite_ that_ large.

Relief was flooding through her by now, making her pulse flutter and giving her the quite inappropriate urge to giggle at Remus's antics. Her potion had worked! Not only had it not killed him to take it every day for a week, it had actually _worked!_

Realizing full well that his wolfish senses made it useless, and not about to care, Tonks tiptoed across the room to where Remus was hiding. The mattress inched closer to the wall, away from her. Tonks grinned and squatted down.

"Wotcher, Remus."

The lump in the mattress moved again.

"My Wolfsbane Potion worked! Can you believe it?"

Twitch twitch, inch inch.

"Either that means yes or I've got my hands on the world's first cowardly werewolf."

That earned her a decidedly humanoid snort.

"That's the spirit." she said brightly. "Now come here and let me have a look at you."

She grabbed the mattress and meant to pull it off him, but once she lifted the weight from his back there was a flurry of movement that knocked Tonks backward. When she looked up from her sprawling vantage point, rubbing a scuffed elbow, the mattress was still again, and the lump had not left.

Tonks sighed and scrambled to her feet.

Nobody messes with an Auror's battle plans. Remus John Lupin, former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, veteran member of the Order of the Phoenix, last of the Marauders, husband of Nymphadora, and werewolf, was in for it.

"Remus, love, do me a favour and _get off it_. Honestly, you're overreacting. What do you think I'll -" _- grunt -_ "- do, faint with fright? I've seen pictures of werewolves -" _- grunt -_ "- before, there's nothing wrong with your current -" _- grunt -_ "- looks."

She grunted again, pulling as hard as she could, but still the mattress would not lift.

"Remus, you're not seriously holding on to this thing, are you?"

Tonks braced herself and gave one final, mighty pull, and this time she fell flat on her back with the mattress on top of her. Eagerly she pushed it off.

There he was, crouched in the corner of the room, his muzzle stuck sulkily between his paws and his eyes darting away as soon as she met them. He was bigger than a normal wolf, his collar a bit thicker, his tail tufted, and his eyes seemed more appropriate for a feline than a canine, but apart from that, he could have been an ordinary wolf or wolfhound.

With a shudder, Tonks thought he must look gorgeous while hunting.

Or while doing anything other than mope, for that matter.

"You know," she said breathlessly, crawling over to him. "It's a shame you're usually so bad-tempered when you're like this, because you look absolutely stunning."

His eyes snapped to hers at this, very human incredulity written plainly in them.

"What? I'm half a Black, morbid taste runs in the family."

She extended her hand. "Could I..."

He looked hesitant (another surprisingly human feat for a creature that couldn't even seem to decide on whether it should look properly canine or not), but sat up straight and did not pull away when she rested a hand on his back.

His fur was thick and warm, and surprisingly soft. Tonks could not help but sink her fingers into it and stroke his back and neck.

"So tell me, _do_ werewolves bark?"

Remus seemed to raise an eyebrow at her.

"I'm only curious, Remus!"

He yipped. _Primly._

"Ah." Tonks said with a grin and a playful slap to his hunch. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

He snorted and stuck his muzzle in the air.

They sat next to each other in silence for a while, Tonks petting werewolf-Remus and werewolf-Remus trying hard not to wag his tail or acknowledge Tonks's knowing smirk.

Then, suddenly to Remus but according to a precise (if impulsive) mission schedule to Tonks, Tonks threw her arms around the wolf's neck. A startled sound escaped Remus, only prompting her to squeeze tighter.

"You look _so incredibly cute!_"

This announcement served to make Remus, who had already been forced into a diagonal position by the weight of the witch hanging around his neck, to topple over. Tonks toppled along with him, ending up on top of his chest, trapping his front paws beneath her. Even with his human mind, Remus realised full well what this meant: Tonks was the alpha here.

"I love you, Remus." she said breathlessly, and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Bloodthirsty monster or not, the way you are now you only remind me of a fluffy little bunny!"

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**PSAN:** Of course, once Remus is fully human again he's going to ask Tonks how she could ever think that fluffy little bunnies are not bloodthirsty monsters... But, in the infamous Neverending Story tradition; that's a tale for another time. Hope you liked it! ^_^


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